``I wanted from the outset to send a strong message that Middletown was going to be a key player in this race. Seb does that for me,'' said Capenera of Rocky Hill.

The district includes Cromwell, Newington, Rocky Hill and parts of Middletown and Wethersfield.

Giuliano, a lawyer, lost to Mayor Domenique Thornton in November by 232 votes out of 9,230 cast.

``Ralph Capenera is the right man at the right time and Middletown will benefit more than it has under Sen. Ciotto's watch,'' Giuliano said in a statement Tuesday.

Capenera charged that Ciotto, a five-term Democrat of Wethersfield, has relied on his close ties to Middletown Mayor Domenique Thornton and state Rep. Joseph C. Serra to carry the city.

Middletown and Cromwell ``will no longer be afterthoughts if I'm elected,'' Capenera said.

Thornton, at a meeting of district delegates May 24, nominated Ciotto for a sixth term.

Ciotto, a retired deputy commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles and chairman of the legislature's transportation committee, has coasted to victory in his prior campaigns, but a tougher contest is expected this time around.

Capenera, who hosts a public-affairs talk show on local cable television, is faring better on the fund-raising front than other Ciotto challengers.

As of the last reporting period, ending March 31, Ciotto had raised $28,925, to $22,095 for Capenera, campaign records show.

Capenera said he is not accepting donations from lobbyists and political action committees and challenged Ciotto to do the same.

Ciotto did not immediately return a telephone message Tuesday night. He has said in the past that he has never been swayed by campaign donations.